Petsearch(UK) was founded in February 1990 by Paula and Harry Greaves of Solihull because some animals were being destroyed when their owners were unable to locate them within the statutory 7 days grace before death or resale. They felt that a central point registering all information on lost or found pets was badly needed. They offered this FREE SERVICE 7 days a week but the demand escalated to such an extent that Volunteers had to be sought for other areas and so a National Network of Petsearchers came into being.
AIMS
Principal aims are to get help for all animals and caged birds that are lost or in distress. Registers are kept, of all animals and birds that have been reported lost or found and try to match these reports so that pets can be returned to their owners. Helpful information is provided, to deal with most situations and hold telephone numbers of Rescue Centres, Vets, Wild Life experts, RSPCA etc. All Petsearchers compile their own list of numbers relevant to their area of operation.
TRACING LOST PETS
All Help Lines are run entirely voluntarily and NO CHARGE is made for the services. The task is to be a focal point where all missing or found reports are collated. These are then followed up to find a matching solution.
What To Do If You Lose Your Dog
Before you start frantically phoning people up, take a few minutes to collect some information together.
Write down a detailed description of your dog and stick to this description each time you tell someone about your dog. If you can find a recent photo of your dog, that will be a huge help too. The photo can be displayed on this Web Site (free of charge)
Once you've got your description of your dog written down, and details of how and when the dog went missing, the people you need to contact locally are:
The dog wardens for your area and the surrounding areas.
The police (especially if the dog was stolen, in which case, make sure you get a crime number. 
The local stray pounds and any rescue centres in the area .
Local vets
Local radio, and newspapers
Your nearest Petsearch UK volunteer who will advise and assist in all of these matters.
Use of local posters is often a good way of spreading information. Make up a poster with the brief, but concise, description of the dog and the area it went missing from, plus a photo if possible. Get these photocopied and stick as many up as possible............in local shops, vets, pet food suppliers, village halls, community centers, libraries, schools, post offices etc. The more people that see it, the greater the chance of finding your dog.
.
